Fr Gerard Quirke is a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), currently ministering in Fort Worth, Texas. Originally from the west of Ireland, Fr Quirke was ordained to the priesthood in 2018.
Fr. Quirke spent a number of years ministering in Ireland and England before coming to Fort Worth in 2023 to minister as Associate Pastor at the vibrant and rapidly growing parish of St Benedict.
After completing high school and prior to joining seminary, Fr Quirke studied fine art at college. This is an interest he has continued to pursue in his priesthood, particularly with regard to the question of faith and beauty, and how sacred art can have a major role in bring people to the truth of the Catholic faith. Convinced of the invaluable role of the visual arts in conveying the faith, visual aids generally form a core part of Fr Quirke’s presentations.
Having a keen interest in communicating the Catholic faith in compelling and convincing ways, Fr Quirke counts two great twentieth-century communicators among his major influences: Monsignor Ronald Knox and the Venerable Fulton Sheen. With the renewed enthusiasm among Catholic publishers in promoting the writings of Monsignor Knox in recent years, Fr Quirke is currently undertaking an in-depth study of his many works.
Although, like any priest, Fr Quirke is influenced by many spiritual writers and great saints, he is especially attracted to the spiritual writings of the great Carmelite saints, with St Thérèse of Lisieux and St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross being of especial interest to him.
